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Flying Turns is a wooden bobsled roller coaster at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. It is modeled after a similar ride designed by John Norman Bartlett and John Miller in the 1920s. The ride concept is similar to a modern steel bobsled roller coaster; however Flying Turns is made of wood, like the original rides. The layout of the ride is most similar to the original located at Riverview Park in Chicago, Illinois.
| Flying Turns | |
|---|---|
 Flying Turns in the summer of 2009 | |
| Knoebels Amusement Resort | |
| Location | Knoebels Amusement Resort |
| Coordinates | 40.878387°N 76.505095°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | October 4, 2013 |
| Opening date | October 5, 2013 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Wood – Bobsled |
| Manufacturer | Knoebels Amusement Resort |
| Designer | John Fetterman |
| Lift/launch system | Four chain lift hills |
| Height | 50 ft (15 m) |
| Length | 1,300 ft (400 m) |
| Speed | 24 mph (39 km/h) |
| Inversions | 0 |
| Height restriction | 42 in (107 cm) |
| Trains | Larson International[1] trains with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 1 across in 2 rows for a total of 6 riders per train. |
| Flying Turns at RCDB | |
Construction began in January 2006. In July 2007, the first test car test runs were completed successfully. In October 2007, the first powered test runs of the same test cars were completed. Roller coaster enthusiasts were given a tour which showcased the ride during the Phoenix Phall Phunfest 2007. Later that month, the park began to run test runs of a five-car test train which would be the full length of the train.
An initial delay arose due to an issue with the car's wheels. The wheels were shipped back to their manufacturer in California and the issue was corrected. However, the ride did not open by the end of the 2008 season due to the cars travelling too quickly for passenger comfort. According to Knoebels' website, the ride was to be opened during the 2009 season. The ride was re-tracked and profiled to accommodate new trains.[2]
In June 2011, Knoebels posted an update to their website, stating "We've been testing the newest version of the Flying Turns ride vehicles and are VERY encouraged. There's still plenty of work to do but this is a very positive step in the right direction."[3] They also posted to their Facebook page a video shot from a camera mounted on a prototype chassis.[4]
On May 26, 2012, a section of track at the brake platform, as well as the brake platform itself, was removed. On July 30, the removed sections were rebuilt to accommodate the newest trains that were being delivered. In August 2012, Knoebels said that they planned on beginning testing for the newest trains soon, and that they believed they finally figured out how to get the trains to run smoothly.
On October 5, 2013, the ride officially opened to the public,[5] though the ride actually began operating the previous evening on October 4. It operates three trains with three cars apiece, and each car accommodates one large rider or two small riders, with a weight limit of 400 pounds (180 kg) per car. One train is painted green, one is painted yellow, a third is painted mauve, and the fourth train is painted lavender.
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Flying Turns also won Best New Ride (Amusement Park) 2014.
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